So, which ones (Packer vets) will be cut?

[Joemailman]

I think Wynn is gone. I like Lumpkin, so long as he's recovered from last year's injury.

Lumpkin showed me more in his brief playing time than Wynn has, but the coaches seem something in Wynn. Should be a good battle. Don't count out another player ends up being the #3 RB--perhaps Sutton or somebody that becomes available after final cuts,

I think last year Wynn finally got himself into the kind of physical shape the Packers were looking for. If he shows up in shape and ready to play (and stays healthy), I think he's the favorite. It's do-or-die time for him though.

[SnakeLH2006]

Re: So, which ones (Packer vets) will be cut?

Lots of overstocked position groups, with veterans of several seasons fighting for roster spots with drafted rookies. Injuries could make the decisions for them, but absent that, who will be the losers?

Fullback - one of Kuhn and Hall will be gone, maybe even both, if Johnson is the player he seems to be.

RB - There seems to be at least one extra between Lumpkin and Wynn, unless only one FB is kept.

O-line - (13 listed on the roster now) It won't seem right without Tauscher, and I really wanted him to leave on his terms, but it seems doubtful that there will be a roster spot for him. Lang & Meredith will stick along with Clifton, Colledge, Spitz & Sitton. That leaves three or four spots for Wells, Barbre, Giacomini, McCaskill, Moll & Preston. Can they find a trade for Wells? They seem to be high on Giacomini's potential, so I expect he makes it. They still talk-up Barbre, and a move to tackle may help him. I suspect Moll's opportunity is done, and unless he absolutely stands out in preseason his Packer career will end. Might Preston be cut?

WR - Does Ruvell Martin have a battle on his hands for the # 5 spot, or will the Packers keep a 6th from among guys like Swain, Allen, Heckendorf, Simmons, etc.

D-line - I suspect Raji will be kept along with Jenkins, Pickett and Jolly (if he isn't in jail), but what about Jarius Wynn? That would be 5 of perhaps as few as 6 that they might keep. NT's Bledsoe, Soi & Toribio seem to have little opportunity in GB at this point, what about DE's Malone & Montgomery? If Harrell is not healthy, might he be cut in only his third year? 11 on the roster now, 4 or 5 likely to be cut.

LB - Mathews, Barnett, Hawk, Kampman for sure, Thompson highly likely. Poppinga and Chiller would seem fairly certain, but what about draftee Brad Jones? If all are givens, and if they keep 9 or 10, that would leave 1, maybe 2 spots for Bishop, Havner, Hunter, and Lansanah.

CB - Woodson & Williams, but might Harris be traded? If not, there isn't a lot of room for Underwood, Lee, Blackmon, Bush, Porter or Abrams. Maybe just two will stick. Might Lee or Blackmon be cut? Hard to believe it would be Blackmon to go, unless another kick returner jumps out. Almost seems like there are just two spots available for Harris, Lee, and Underwood.

Safety - Collins, Bigby, but who else from among Smith, Rouse, Peprah, and again Bush? Bush's versatility(he is equally average at CB and safety) plus his ST contributions would seem to lock up a spot for him. Rouse could be gone, maybe Smith, maybe Bigby if he can't stay on the field.

Very interesting competitions lining up for training camp. More competitive than ever for roster spots. Should be very, very interesting.

Good Topic Patler.

Snake's Take:

FB: Kuhn's gone. Hall did some great things at times and catches the ball better than Kuhn. Hopefully, and maybe the rook is a beast...Kinda high for a FB, but LSU has some beasts all over. Good pick.

RB: Wynn's gone for sure. Pedestrian, bad attitude, lazy, no burst....Kinda hung on him with the draft and even now. Lumpy looked great in his time. Excited for that kid. Dump Wynn.

OL: McCaskill and Moll (thank god) are gone. You don't cut Wells (proven albeit poor starter) or Preston (huge size, new FA) for Moll. That dude got whooped left and right. If Moll worked at McDonald's and could make frys, flip burgers, and make salads, would you still want him if sucked at all 3 spots...Fuck no. Moll sucks. Keep Gia cuz he might turn out to be good with his size and hasn't proven to suck yet.

WR: Snake likes Heckendorf (knows his famiy...from the same area) but he's gone as are Swain and Allen..Tough call, but if Jenning's bro has a good training camp, why not go with the cheap rook over FA to be Ruvell. He'll be a backup somewhere, but if the upside to the rook is better. Grab him. Out Ruvell.

DL: Bledsoe, Toribo, Soi gone..WTF are those guys???? Anyway...if comes down to Wynn or Montgomery. Mont is gone (and thank god) as Wynn could play the same position better (can't do worse that useless douche Montgomery for his money).

LB: Hunter and Havner gone. Hunter would be a useless LB, and even more so Havner. Jones is safe as a rook unless he fails hard, and Bishop is a beast (love him) and Lasagna is always tasty.

CB: Bush (contract and he sucks), Abram are gone. Blackmon is safe (beast at PR) and Lee (2nd year rook with potential) too. The rook Cinn. corner will likely stick unless he sucks. TT likes his draft picks.

Safety: Peprah gone (does nothing) and hopefully Bush (fails at games)...Smith is safe unless he fails as TT wouldn't have signed him if he didn't like him. Rouse? What would Skin do if Rouse got cut, then we are stuck with Bigby (who Snake loves and many other Rats do).

[Lurker64]

Really, it's hard to project which vets are going to get cut at a lot of positions since a lot of guys make the roster (or not) on the basis of their special teams play. Both Hunter and Bush likely stink at their allotted positions on defense, but both are pretty good special teamers. They're unlikely to get displaced by a rook unless the other guy is really good at special teams.

Too early to call a lot of these, it'll be an interesting camp.

[Lurker64]

I think the battle at FB is going to be really interesting to watch. Johnson is a hammer who will knock your teeth out, and will hopefully solve the problem we've had on third and short for... years now. As a draft pick, and a punishing lead blocker, I see him definitely making the team.

So it comes down to Kuhn vs. Hall for the second spot. Kuhn is the bigger guy and a slightly better blocker, but Hall is gutsy as all get out, he's a core special teamer, and he's a much better receiving threat than Kuhn (and probably Johnson).

If I'm handicapping it, I think that Johnson and Hall probably contribute more to the team overall from the FB position than do Johnson and Kuhn (as Johnson is likely the most physical of all the FBs, and Kuhn's role was largely to come in for Hall in the positions that demanded maximum physicality). But still, it will all come down to camp.

I'm also curious if we maybe keep only 2 TEs and 6 WRs as opposed to 3 TEs and 5 WRs. I could see Jamarko Simmons making the roster as WR #6 / H-Back. Ruvell is likely on the bottom of the depth chart already, but he's going to be hard to displace because of his size (we don't have any 6'4" WRs better than him) and his blocking ability. If we really need 3 TEs for some short yardage set, well... we've got a lot of former OTs who can do all that TE stuff that doesn't require running down the field or catching the ball.

[Fritz]

FB (2) - Hall, Johnson

In the future it would be nice to carry just one but both should be good special teamers and will stick.

Am I the only one that thinks Kuhn was actually better than Hall last year?

I don't know, Harv, but I do know that for me, Kuhn and Hall were like Darrell and Darrell - I never knew which was which. One was a converted linebacker, and one was a running back in college. Which was which, though? I never could keep that straigtht.

It was much easier when Najeh Davenport was on the team - "Yeah, Davenport, I know him - he's the guy that pooped in a laundry basket."

I suspect that until either Kuhn or Hall does something equally memorable, I will continue to confuse the two.

[3irty1]

FB (2) - Hall, Johnson

In the future it would be nice to carry just one but both should be good special teamers and will stick.

Am I the only one that thinks Kuhn was actually better than Hall last year?

You can make that argument for sure. He was at least a little more productive last year. He got goal line carries and caught a couple touchdowns. I've always been impressed with Hall but I don't think either one is much better than the other.

[Bossman641]

Re: So, which ones (Packer vets) will be cut?

OL: McCaskill and Moll (thank god) are gone. You don't cut Wells (proven albeit poor starter) or Preston (huge size, new FA) for Moll. That dude got whooped left and right. If Moll worked at McDonald's and could make frys, flip burgers, and make salads, would you still want him if sucked at all 3 spots...Fuck no. Moll sucks. Keep Gia cuz he might turn out to be good with his size and hasn't proven to suck yet.

[SnakeLH2006]

Kuhn and Hall were like Darrell and Darrell - I never knew which was which. One was a converted linebacker, and one was a running back in college. Which was which, though? I never could keep that straigtht.

It was much easier when Najeh Davenport was on the team - "Yeah, Davenport, I know him - he's the guy that pooped in a laundry basket."

I suspect that until either Kuhn or Hall does something equally memorable, I will continue to confuse the two.

Thanx Fritz, for the clarification. Snake (and Najeh's teammates, I'm sure) were always wary of where the Poop was. Good stuff bro.